Does Poverty Contribute to Terrorism?

According to Shmuel Bar, the religious-ideological factors in Islam that contribute to the phenomenon of terrorism are the inseparability of politics and religion. (Bar, 2004). As he further explains, "Islam is, in essence, both religion and regime (din wa-dawla) and no area of human activity is outside its remit." (Bar, 2004). He cautions against treating Islamic terrorism as though it were a consequence of economic and political factors. In order to fully understand and combat Islamic terrorism, it is necessary to understand the totality of religious ideology, politics and socio-economics.

There seems to be a common generalization that poverty fuels terrorism. According to research conducted by Marc Sageman, three-fourths of the Salafi mujahadin were solid middle or upper class. (Sageman, 2004, 74). "Poverty, unemployment, and lack of education are serious problems in some of the world's most populous Muslim countries. There is, however, no evidence of a correlation between these social and economic ills and terrorism." (Fair and Haqqani, 2006).

A similar argument claims that potential terrorists are uneducated. "Instead, terrorists are generally well educated and unlikely to be poor." (Fair and Haqqani, 2006). Marc Sageman's research also debunks this theory, demonstrating that over 60 percent of mujahadin have a college education. (Sageman, 2004, 75). Arguments claiming that poverty, lack of education, or some combination of the two are obviously flawed. To assume that one factor alone (be it political, socio-economic, cultural, tribal and so forth) can "cause" radicalism in Islam is to undercut the significance of the religious-ideological factors.

It can be effectively argued that globalization is a root cause of terrorism. At a minimum, it enables it. Thanks to globalization, terrorists have the dual goal of maximizing both casualties and prestige. Globalization and technology advances also make it easier for communication, recruiting, planning and propagation. A group such as al Qaeda can be geographically diffuse, while having many forms of communication available. In an environment where countering terrorists is already replete with difficulty, globalization adds another layer of complication. The very systems that enhance modernization and technology become tools of the trade for terrorisms, further complicating matters for Homeland Security.

REFERENCES

Bar, Shmuel. (2004). "The Religious Sources of Islamic Terrorist." Policy Review, Vol. 124, pp. 27-38.

Fair, Christine C. and Husain Huqqani. (January 2006). Think Again: Islamic Terrorism. Foreign Policy Web Exclusive. Retrieved December 15, 2009 from http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3359.

Sageman, Marc. (2004). Understanding Terror Networks. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania), pp. 73-75.